SriLankan Airlines, the National Carrier of Sri Lanka and a member of the oneworld airline alliance, offers travellers from the Middle East, the wide variety of Sri Lanka's abundant wildlife and natural beauty. All of which are just a short flight away from the region's capitals.

With 68 weekly flights to the Sri Lankan capital from the cities of the GCC, SriLankan Airlines is rolling out the red carpet for Middle Eastern travellers looking for a brief stopover on their onward journey or for a more comprehensive island getaway this summer.

Late summer is also the ideal time to witness the biggest wildlife spectacular that the Emerald Isle offers, the Minneriya Elephant Gathering, the largest coming together of Asian elephants at any one time in the world.

The Gathering takes place annually during the months of August and September, when herds of elephants and other wildlife from across the island make their way to the Minneriya Tank - a man-made lake that holds water even in the dry season - to drink from the sweet water that is always in abundance there, even in the driest of weather.

This spectacular coming together of herds of elephant, deer, buffalo and other animals in search of water and fodder, gives tourists a grandstand view of the wonders of nature, as the animals drink, frolic and play in the evening sunlight before heading onward.

Minneriya National Park is situated in the North Central Province of Sri Lanka, close to Habarana, the Cultural Triangle and the Sigiriya Rock, all of which are top attractions for tourists, and have a range of accommodation and dining options.

“Sri Lanka has a wide range of natural attractions to offer the Middle East traveller who is looking for a refreshing holiday that is not too far away from home,” said Saminda Perera, General Manager Marketing SriLankan Airlines. “With our daily flights out of the main cities of the region, we offer not only 

convenient connections but also seamless onward connections to Asia and Australia through our Colombo hub.”

SriLankan Airlines is already popular with Middle East travellers, having gained a reputation for fine service and excellent hospitality and efficient connections to Colombo and onward to Asia and Australia. 

Responding to growing demand from the region, SriLankan Airlines today has daily flights to Colombo from Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Riyadh, Muscat, Bahrain and Kuwait. Recent figures indicate that Sri Lanka received 107, 635 tourists from the GCC countries in 2017, a growth of 6.5%, with the UAE figuring as the major source market in the region.

Responding to growing demand from the region, SriLankan Airlines has recently boosted its services with daily flights to Colombo from Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Riyadh, Muscat, Bahrain and Kuwait to 68 flights a week. The airline is also looking at increasing connectivity to other parts of the Gulf depending on demand.

Looking to recharge and reconnect with nature while enjoying refreshing wellness therapies that draw on centuries of heritage? All this while relaxing in sylvan resorts nestled in nature's emerald embrace or enveloped by the mesmerising ebb and flow of the Indian Ocean? Middle East travellers can find all of these and much more at near unbelievable bargains in Sri Lanka, just a few hours away on SriLankan Airlines.

SriLankan Airlines, the National Carrier of Sri Lanka, has been expanding its network across the Middle East recently in response to growing demand from the region's business and leisure travellers. Offering seamless connections through their Colombo hub, the airline is a popular carrier for people looking to travel from the Middle East to the subcontinent, Southeast and East Asia as well as onward to Australia.

The island's renowned wealth of natural beauty and its proximity to the Gulf region also makes the country a popular holiday destination for tourists from across the world, who are familiar with its many attractions.

"With convenient daily flights to Colombo from Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Riyadh, Muscat, Bahrain and Kuwait, SriLankan Airlines now offers 68 flights a week from the region to our home base for tourists from the region, who are looking to experience the pleasures of a quick break or an extended holiday for them and their families, just a short flight away," said Saminda Perera, General Manager Marketing, SriLankan Airlines.

"Whether they are looking for a peaceful beach holiday or a refreshing relief from the stresses and strains of the daily grind through our specialized ayurvedic wellness therapies, Sri Lanka has something to suit all preferences," Perera stated.

Sri Lanka's long tradition of expertise in ayurvedic and natural medicine and wellness therapies goes back centuries. Today the island offers a wide spectrum of wellness spas and resorts and ayurvedic centres dotted all over the island, offering tailor-made therapies and rejuvenation and recharge packages for tourists in search of rest and recovery.

Ayurveda is one of the world’s oldest forms of healing, derived from the Sanskrit words for life (ayuh) and knowledge or science (veda) — originated in India more than 3,000 years ago and soon spread to Sri Lanka, where Sinhalese kings established Ayurveda treatment centres in the ancient cities of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa.

In Ayurveda, a combination of herbs, diet, massage, hydrotherapy and oil treatment is used to treat everything from stress to diabetes, migraine, asthma, arthritis and high blood pressure.  Ayurveda specialists will tell you that this form of treatment also helps boost the immune system, promotes a general sense of well-being and even helps delay the ageing process. 

With many in the West turning from medicine which treats only the body, towards a more holistic approach, Sri Lanka has become destination for those seeking solace in the Ayurvedic principle of body, mind and soul. 

Recent statistics indicate that Sri Lanka received 107, 635 tourists from the GCC countries in 2017, a growth of 6.5%, with the UAE figuring as the major source market in the region.

SriLankan Airlines today flies an all Airbus fleet, which includes the state-of-the-art A330-300 and A320neo aircraft connecting to 105 destinations in 47 countries (including codeshare operations). Launched in 1979, Sri Lanka’s National Carrier is an award winning airline with a solid reputation for service, comfort, safety, reliability, and punctuality. 

With travellers from the Middle East forming an increasing chunk of the total number of passengers travelling from the region to Sri Lanka and beyond, SriLankan Airlines is pulling out the stops to further cement their presence as the preferred airline of the region to Sri Lanka and beyond, with a concerted digital outreach programme.

SriLankan Airlines, which is a member of the oneworld airline alliance, already enjoys a good reputation as among the most favoured carriers on the routes it serves, thanks to its fabled hospitality, excellent standards of in flight services and seamless transit and travel amenities that are available at its Colombo hub - Bandaranayake International Airport.

To further build up its presence in the region, and underline its world class services available across its network, SriLankan Airlines has developed a dedicated, interactive Arabic language website, in order to better inform and engage with potential  Middle Eastern travellers.

With nearly 25% of the total passengers on the Middle East-Sri Lanka sector comprising of Middle East business and leisure travellers, the Arabic language website becomes an extremely significant vehicle to reach and inform the wider Arabic-speaking audience. Regularly updated with the latest bargains, travel packages and enticing holiday deals, the website along with its English version, has been proving immensely popular as the region builds up towards the peak summer travel season.

“SriLankan Airlines already enjoys a reputation for top quality service and superior in-flight experience with travellers from the Middle East, thanks to our years of serving the region. We are looking to increase our market share in the Middle East-Colombo sector and boost our profile as the best carrier on this route," said Dimuthu Tennakoon, Head of Worldwide Sales and Distribution, SriLankan Airlines. “We now have not only expanded our flights to the region, with daily flights from the region's prominent cities, but we also offer a streamlined and seamless transit experience through our Colombo airport hub to Asia, the subcontinent and Australia.”

SriLankan Airlines today flies an all Airbus fleet, which includes the state-of-the-art A330-300 and A320neo aircraft connecting to 105 destinations in 47 countries (including codeshare operations). Launched in 1979, Sri Lanka’s National Carrier is an award winning airline with a solid reputation for service, comfort, safety, reliability, and punctuality.